The canonization of “classic” indie rock albums continues with this double-disc edition of Sonic Youth’s 1988 bellwether “Daydream Nation.” Released just before hundreds of bands like, well, Sonic Youth, were snapped up by major labels in an attempt to commodify the sounds of the college rock underground, the original double album remains a vital […]
Seattle native Will’s debut marks him as one of the newest — and best — of a coterie of young rappers who have clearly absorbed the killer rhymes of their gold-and-platinum peers, while filtering the message through both serious street credibility and a Christian worldview. Will’s savvy raps, set to intriguing musical landscapes, are […]
It was 10 years ago that Tiffany stormed The Billboard Hot 100 with two No. 1 singles. Despite fading from the limelight within three years, she has flirted with various returns, fanning critical, if not overt commercial, success. Her seventh album, “Just Me,” shows off the 35-year-old as a grounded, introspective songwriter with the […]
Kitschy is an understatement when it comes to red-jumpsuit-clad Norwegian duo Datarock. Its debut album is infused with Talking Heads-style dance rock that compares BMX bikes to sex (the former, they claim, is better) and references Olivia Newton-John and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Peculiar lyrical content aside, the album is an electronic […]
Anyone looking for a dose of Keith’s famous attitude won’t be disappointed on his new release. The thumping title cut finds him channeling Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry on a song that one could easily imagine pumping across the border from a Mexican AM station back in the day. “Hit It” is a […]
There’s a lot riding on Daddy Yankee’s first full studio set under his new deal with Interscope. Perhaps that explains why this disc is a robust 20 tracks long, plus a remix of the single “Impacto,” featuring Fergie. Daddy Yankee goes from middle-of-the-road, feel-good reggaeton to reggaeton with mainstream top 40 appeal (”Impacto,” “Who’s […]
“It’s my life / and I am free / to live my life / the way I feel,” Cole sings on her first album after a seven-year self-imposed exile. The words are trite on paper, but lifted by her straining, breathy voice over sparse acoustic guitar and strings, they flower open and become uniquely […]
Pianist/composer Tord Gustavsen and his collaborators, Harald Johnsen (double-bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums), have crafted a dozen contemplative wonders on “Being There.” Opener “At Home” is a quiet, impressionistic piece. It has a subtle melodic quality, performed with a good deal of patience, yet it has an intriguing cinematic feel. Also note “Blessed Feet,” […]
The “Wilderness” Doe sings about on his seventh solo album is an emotionally volatile place, filled with the anger and recrimination of romantic tumult mitigated by the cautious hope of gradual reconciliation. The X man (and Knitters principal) wraps all that up in a typically rich and engaging sonic palette, from the fiery roots […]
Smallwood marks his 25th year as a major-label recording artist with this fittingly momentous two-disc set. Time has clearly only honed Smallwood’s singular gifts as a singer, composer, arranger and producer. He and his choir, Vision, along with a host of pre-eminent guest artists, shine like precious metal on this set of largely new […]
It took only one listen to recognize that Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was destined to command chart heavens and become the red-hot ingenue’s second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, following “SOS.” With mission accomplished, the second single from third album “Good Girl Gone Bad,” out June 5, further demonstrates why the 19-year-old continues to trailblaze as top […]
With her U.S. career fully resurrected thanks to Jive’s tireless efforts to push Pink’s gratifying “U + Ur Hand” to the top of pop playlists, the label steps back in time with the rerelease of what was originally the July 2006 previous single from CD “I’m Not Dead.” “Who Knew” is another cool, smart, plenty […]
Adult top 40’s most reliable brand, the Goo Goo Dolls, takes a side step from current CD “Let Love In” with a track from “Transformers,” the live action Steven Spielberg film due July 4, based on the long-lived toy franchise. “Before It’s Too Late” is the love theme for primary human characters Sam (Shia LaBeouf) […]
Production by Matt Serletic, A-level songwriters, live jam band and a melody line from Marvin Gaye’s 1965 “Ain’t That Peculiar.” On paper, 2006 “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks’ follow-up to adult top 40 top 20 “Just to Feel That Way” sounds triumphant. But a Southern rock delivery could be a deterrent to contemporary radio. If […]
